Improvement in reed musical instruments



NITED STATES PATENT Gamen.

RILEY BURDETT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN REED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 59,354, dated November 6, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RILEY BURDETT, of Chicago, in the county of Cook, in the State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Reed Musical Instruments, and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed-drawin gs, making a part of this specication, wherein- Figure I is a view of the upper side. Fig. II is a longitudinal sectional view, and Fig. III is a transverse sectional view, of the same.

In order to enable persons skilled in the making of reed musical instruments to understand how to construct this improvement,which I call the Improved Automatic Tremolo,7 I here give the actual size otl all the parts by measurement, so far as is necessaryT for a tremolo to be applied to an ordinary tive-octave instrument having two sets of reeds.

Fig. I represents a suitable piece ot' wood, twelve inches long, two and one-halt' inches Wide, and half an inch thick. I call this piece the foundation-board.7 At A there is a round hole one inch in diameter, which is covered on the Linder side by the valve B, Fig. II. This valve I call the tremolo-valve. It is one and a quarter inch in diameter, covered with soft leather, and at the center of the inside there is fastened a weight of one-half ounce. The valve is kept in position by being connected with the combined arm and spring C. This arm and spring is six inches long, and is connected with the valve by a screw, and at D it is connected by another screw to the foundation-board.

The spring must be only one and a quarter inch long, commencing` one inch from the screw D, and the parts marked a and l) must be nonelastic.

The spring should be about the size of those used in the ordinary musical boxes, and the parts a and b ot' brass, about three-eighths of an inch wide and one twenty-fourth ot' an inch thick. They are united to the steel spring by common soft solder.

E represents, in Figs. II and III, what I call the cut-oh valve, which is five and onehalt' inches long and one and a half inch wide and half an inch thick. This valve covers the opening in the tbuinlation-board, Fig. I, marked H, which opening is five inches long and one inch wide. This valve E is covered with soft leather, and hinged with the same on one side or longitudinally, and kept in place by the spring F.

Thi s improved automatic tremolo attachment is intended only for the upper half of the instrument, and in order to apply it the air-chamber must rst be divided at middle C in an instrument of five octaves compass with a scale 'commencing on F. Then apply the foundation-board, represented in Fig. I, (the tremolo and the cut-oit' valves having been previously arranged as described,) over the opening for the air-passage between the air-chamber and the bellows, and screw it tightly onto the bottom ofthe air-chamber.

Now, it is evident that in playing the instrument, the bellows being on the suction principle, the air must be drawn through the valve B so long as the cut-oli' valve E is closed. The action of the air being constantly resisted by the spring upon the tremolo-valve, the result is a tremulous tone by the reeds, the rapidity Vof which is determined by the set or strength ot' elasticity in the spring.

The operation of the tremolo is stopped by any simple device passing from the draw-stop atthe keys into the air-chamber and thence to the lever G at the point d, thus throwing open the cut-olf valve E, when the air passes freely from the air-chamber to the bellows.

The great advantage this tremolo attachment possesses over all others is its prompt and uniform certainty of action and its entire freedom from that humming and beating noise so common in those otherwise constructed.

Having given a clear and exact description of my improvement and its operation and advantages, I will state n'rst what I disclaim, and, secondly, what I claim as my invention and desire to secure Letters Patent therefor.

I do not claim as my invention a tremolovalvewhen the same is constructed with a. 2. The eut-G' valve E, when the same is i lever and Weight, or with a lever and spring, constructed' and used in the manner and for when the same is over the Memole-valve or in the purposes herein described and set forth. Y the air-chamber; but

I claim as my invention- RILEY BURDETT. l. The construction of a bremolo the Valve of which is connected with and acted upon Witnesses: by the arm and spring C, as herein specified I. T. PACKARD, and set forth. W. C. PERRY. 

